life in general

halloween 2012

Time for some Halloween photos!

The kids got to wear their costumes to school.  But there was a rule of no make-up, no props, no wings, etc.  Anna decided to save her angel costume for later (because what's an angel without wings?) and wore her super girl costume to school instead.

I supervised the "decorate a bag" table at her classroom Halloween party.

All the kids in her class are so so sweet.  I've decided that 1st grade is the place to be.

Then, outside the parents lined up to watch the costume parade.  I used to looooove the costume parade in elementary school!  This is the first time my kids have had this experience and I hope they loved it too.

Here comes Payton!  

He was a mad scientist, but without his make-up, hair dye, and accessories he just looked like a doctor.  Luckily he has this ID tag to set people straight.

 On Halloween Anna was our little angel . . . 

Talk about a little beauty!  I can't get over her beautiful face.  That little girl is stretching and slimming into a little lady.  And the way that she moves and carries herself makes me take notice on a regular basis.  Oh my, I'm a little fearful for us in a few years!

Payton rocked the Mad Scientist look

In the weeks leading up to Halloween he thought about changing his mind, but I'm so glad he stuck with this idea.  His idea also included carrying around a beaker or test tube with green liquid and smoke (dry ice).  We wisely steered him clear of that one.  

I found both the lab coat and the flip front goggles (only $8) on Amazon.  

Conner brought back Bionic Booger Boy from last year.

We have a family rule that the last year you can trick-or-treat is during 6th grade.  Conner has reached that milestone and thought long and hard about what costume he would wear for his last year.  He decided that BBB was the best way to go out.  In a green blaze of glory.

I sure do love these kids!

Scott took them around the neighborhood

While I stayed back to pass out candy.  Wearing this cute thing . . . . 

You know I love dressing up for Halloween.  When Scott brought this dirndl home from his travels to Austria this May, I was so excited!  Not only did it fit perfectly (I was impressed by his choice of sizing) but I knew it would make a great Halloween costume.  

When everyone got back it was time for the annual lesson on taxes.

Especially effective during an election year.  This year Scott was kind and only took 10% of the kids' candy because they said they would vote for Romney.

Now as we roll into November I am anxiously awaiting the day that I can wear my boots for the first time!  We're still hovering around 80, you know.  Definitely a different kind of fall!  

pioneer day

Happy Pioneer Day!

One thing that is cool about moving into a large LDS community (bigger than Portland, smaller than Utah) is being able to attend a big ol' parade and party for Pioneer Day.  Actually, the parade wasn't big.  It was small, but it was something!

While most of my friends back in Oregon were playing the role of Ma & Pa over families of 12-18 year old youth on a 4 day Pioneer Trek -- dressing like pioneers, pulling/pushing wooden handcarts, camping, dutch-oven cooking, leaving all technology & cell phones behind -- we celebrated Pioneer Day with water guns!

The kids got to ride on our ward's Primary "float".

More like, water-gun assault vehicle.  I happily played the part of target practice.  It was hot out there.

A few parade highlights

TOP:  Pioner children sang as they walked // Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam // Mormon Battalion 

MIDDLE:  The Hustle performed by a High Priest group // firetruck featuring a "The spirit of God like a fire is burning" banner

BOTTOM:  Missionaries! // the cutest Primary float entry (and it's the ward we'll be moving into).  They all wore matching red capes and sang primary songs // Romney for President!

(One awesome thing about the parade . . . . they coned off just one lane of the road for the parade.  Which meant there was still traffic passing on the other 3 lanes.  You can just imagine all the cars slowing down, drivers with puzzled stares, wondering what the heck those Mormons are up to!  Hehe.)

Then it was on to the activities . . . . pancake breafast, face painting, snow cones, panning for gold, giant slide & bounce house, dunk tank, cotton candy, raingutter regatta, jump rope, water balloon toss, and a whole lot more.

It was a really well done activity.  All for free.  I think this is their 11th year putting it on (a tri-stake endeavor).  I'm glad we have something to look forward to next year!

Watch the Pioneer Day Concert - with featured guest performer, Katherine Jenkins, from Dancing with the Stars

celebrating the 4th

In a perfect world, our first 4th of July in Vegas would have involved the following . . . . . 

Going to a city parade, swimming all day in our pool, BBQ-ing hamburgers & hot dogs on the grill in the back yard, and lighting fireworks in the culdesac.

To me, that is the 4th of July.  (At least when you live in warm places.  In Oregon, forget about the swimming - grab a sweater!)

But we don't have our own pool, yet.  (I like to avoid the apartment pool on saturdays & holidays because that's when the crowds and smokers/drinkers come out).  And we don't have a BBQ grill.  (Sold it in Oregon, plus it's against the rules to have one on your patio here).  And lighting fireworks is not allowed in the complex.  (That rule is a-okay with me.)  

Hmm, so how do we celebrate the 4th?  That was my question for weeks.  I love the 4th of July.  I didn't want to miss out on having a great holiday.

I did some research.  Scott asked around at work.  And we came up with some ideas and options that I think worked out very well.

I love small town parades.  Especially parades on the 4th of July!  Lucky for us the sun stayed behind the clouds all morning and temperatures hovered in the low-80's.  That is unheard of.  What amazing luck!

Oh I so need a haircut.  Patience.  Trying to wait through the summer because it's going to be in a ponytail or in a pool most days anyway.

This creepy fish made the rounds with Lake Mead Park Rangers, reminding kids to wear life jackets on the water.  Note: later that day 6 boats capsized or sank on Lake Mead due to high winds.

Anna was my little model for the day . . . 

The only thing the parade was missing was a marching band.  How am I supposed to celebrate my nation's independence without a marching band?!  It's a travesty.  Moving on . . . . 

Before the fireworks show there was music, food, and activities going on in the park.  We weren't necessarily interested in those, but we did take a stroll through the park to check it out and eventually settled on a nice patch of cool grass to hang out for a while.

Now let's talk about this gorgeous light for a moment, shall we?

Okay, that's all.

Here's where our genius/lucky plan comes into play.  There is an LDS church one block from the park, up the hill.  Between the park and the church is an empty, dusty, desert-y field.  So . . . . we parked at the church, giving us a clear, unobstructed view of the fireworks show.  It really could not have worked out better.

These family pictures (taken with a self-timer on the back of the van) show our vantage point.

And then the show began . . . 

18 minutes of patriotic explosion!

Partway through the program the large, yellow-ish moon rose above the mountains in front of us.  I loved our view.

Just such a great evening.  And then came the finale.  Wow! 

My camera was on the same manual settings as the previous fireworks photos, and I wasn't going to spend time fiddling with it.  So this is the photo I got.

Talk about "bombs bursting in air."  All we could talk about on the way home (and the next day) was the amazing finale.

I think we pulled together a pretty great 4th of July celebration for ourselves.  The kids are a little disappointed they didn't get to do sparklers and I had a few heart-pangs, missing my Oregon friends who were all together for the 4th (a tradition for our clan).  But we were together as a family, exploring, and making new traditions in our new home.  Plus, this holiday gave us the opportunity to take our first family photo together in Nevada!

Next year we're looking forward to swimming in our pool, BBQ-ing in our backyard, and watching the city fireworks from our balcony.  That will be heaven.

getting 4th of July crafty

So at this point you can pretty much count on me posting any and all holiday related crafts after the holiday! This slower-paced, transitional, temporary, housing-up-in-the-air situation is affecting all parts of our life, I think.  But hey, if you like you can always "pin" the ideas and save them for next year.

On Tuesday I decided it was time to take down the spring banner and put up some 4th of July decor.   

After a run to Michael's we were ready to go.

cardstock, glitter paper, tissue paper, ribbon, cupcake wrappers, star garland, yarn, red ribbon, paint . . . 

First up, the kids made some toilet paper tube firecrackers.  I think they turned out great, and the kids really enjoyed the project.

And I worked on a new 4th of July banner

The circles, USA letters (on glitter paper), and USA map were all cut on my Silhouette Cameo.  Loving that thing.

Then I just strung it on some white yarn with red & blue cupcake wrappers.  Easy peasy!

See that stack of stars in the above photo?  I had the boys paint the edges with red and blue paint.  The plan was to then write a bunch of stuff about America on the stars (freedoms, things we love, etc.) and add them to the wall right below the USA banner.  But that hasn't happened quite yet.

Lastly, I've been itching to make some paper accordions and this holiday was the perfect opportunity.  I love them!  

paper accordion + cupcake wrapper + glitter paper = festive 4th of july decor

Happy 4th!

It is currently 79 degrees, overcast, and breezy and I'm kinda loving it! We went to a (big) small town parade this morning and it made me so happy.

We had a great lunch (scott picked up meat from Famous Dave's, seeing as we don't have a BBQ grill) and we planned on swimming but it looks like lightning/ thunderstorms are brewing outside.

For now we're enjoying the afternoon, watching some movies, and hoping to make it to a fireworks show later (as long as it isn't cancelled).

Hope you are having a wonderful day as well!

Happy Birthday America! And happy birthday to my brother Kent!

I spy a heart

Happy Valentine's day!

I . . . prepared a valentines breakfast, balanced my checkbook, attended Anna's class party, enjoyed a fast food lunch with good friends, talked to movers, ordered more boxes & 400 sheets of packing paper (think it's enough?), was the recipient of a heart shaped pizza from a kind secret admirer, and taught my last piano lessons here. It's been a good day.

And tonight I'm going to eat a brownie.

valentine preview

I just can't resist any longer.  There's no waiting until Valentine's Day, I just have to share!

LOVE IT!!  Doesn't this just make you smile?  

Yesterday I spent a few minutes with each kid to design their valentine cards for this year.  We browsed a bit through iphoto and each of them chose their photo, we collaborated on the text, and then I spent a few minutes designing each one.

Like I said, Payton selected the photo, we chose the text, and when he left the room I had some fun.  Wah-ha-ha. When I showed him the final result he laughed and laughed.  But he wasn't completely sold on the idea of passing these out to his classmates.  I begged and pleaded and bribed and eventually he gave in.  Such a perfect photo and sentiment . . . I would have been heartbroken if he passed up this opportunity.

Then there was Anna.  She was dead set on using this photo from the first day of school.

{Anna is known in her class as Anna B because there are two Anna's}

It's so perfectly pink, glittery, and girly.  The Glitter Heart is a free download from Design Editor.  And the Glitter Letters also come from her shop.  So cute.  With a little tutorial I even learned how to add a drop shadow to the digital elements!  I'm definitely feeling smarter today.

And finally, there is Conner.  Once again I must stress the fact that the kids chose their own photos.

And he also chose the text.  It is sooo Conner.  Which, I guess, is perfect.

apple pie, house news, and thanksgiving

Wednesday afternoon, while rolling out the crust for my apple pie we got the news . . . 

. . . the offer we made on a house has been accepted!

Now, we're in another waiting game while it goes through bank approval.  (The home is a short sale, just like everything else in Vegas).

But.  We've made it this far in the process, which is a milestone in and of itself.  The house is great.  Great schools, ward, neighborhood, and an amazing 7 minute commute to work for Scott.

Conner's birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year.  He is 11 years old.  11!  Wow.  I plan to do a post about this boy later, but for now here's a picture of him with his birthday loot.  He was a pretty happy boy.

The boys played at the Turkey Bowl in the morning.  

I was so sad that I missed the game!  After spending the morning making a double batch of crescent rolls I pulled into the parking lot just as everyone was getting into their vehicles to go.  :(  But at least I got a photo.  Conner was stoked - he got 3 touchdowns and 1 sack.

We all wrote down what we are thankful for.

The turkey was beautiful.  And delicious.

The kids played with Conner's new toys, we took a nap, and later joined friends for pie.

It was a good day.

Even though we are in an interesting & transitional stage right now and certain aspects of our family life are upside down . . . we have much to be thankful for.

. . . family, good health, a safe & warm home, the gospel, a job that provides for us, friends . . . .

and Payton would add - video games, egg nog, and apple cider.

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

ten on tuesday: november 1st

1.  Meet Anna, a.k.a. Flower Power

Don't call her Super Girl.  Oh no.  Her name is Flower Power.  And she has the power to make the rain go away and to help flowers grow.  Her powers came in handy yesterday as we drove to school pick-up and an ominous grey cloud began to crowd out our sunshine.  She sang and sang and eventually the sun won!

2.  Payton continues to charm each year on Halloween.  Something about those cheeks.  And that little smile.

Payton decided he wanted to be Harry Potter, so we recycled our Quidditch robe from 2 years back. To make it feel "new" I purchased a broomstick and golden snitch (he had tried to make his own with tin foil and feathers).

3.  Conner was over-the-moon excited to unveil his comic book character Bionic Booger Boy.  You can probably guess what his super powers are.

 

Ahhh, boys, boogers, and super heroes. . . . This is one of those times when I decided I needed to sit back, realizing my boy is 10 (almost 11), and just let him do his thing and be what he wants to be.  The control-mom in me, though, wanted his look a little more polished so I whipped up some shorts, a cape, a t-shirt, and even dyed some thermals one afternoon this weekend.  I think I win a super-mom award for how well & un-boogery it turned out.  He thought it was perfect!

4.  We had talked all summer about doing a Phineas & Ferb & Candace theme but they all bailed on me.  They chose their own costumes and in a round about way we ended up with a "Hero" theme.  That works. 

I think Anna wins the award for intensity.

5.  What about me?  In a last minute effort I pulled together a costume for myself monday morning.  And I love it.

Mary Poppins!  Needing inspiration I scanned through my Fall Pinterest board and came across this pin that I pinned months ago.  I already had the skirt and shirt (with ruffles, no less!).  A quick trip to Walmart and I picked up ribbon for my belt and a little bow tie I hot glued together.  Found a hat there for $10 -- all I had to do was turn up the rim and add some silk flowers.  Oh, and don't forget the red lipstick.

I think dressing like Mary Poppins enabled me to take on her persona all night . . . being extra sweet, and kind, and gentle, and patient with all the little children.

Handing out candy at the trunk-or-treat is serious work!  There is no rest for the weary.

6.  When we got home from the church I let the kids trick-or-treat on our little culdesac all by themselves while I handed out candy.  Eeek!  Another exercise for me in allowing independence and at the same time teaching them responsibility.  When they got back to our house I took them farther around the neighborhood.

7.  Anna went through her first Haunted Garage and FREAKED OUT.  Even the masked goblins froze in their tracks and I heard one of them say, "that girl has got some lungs."  Her screams/wails lasted about 5 minutes and the whimpering continued for an hour.  Poor girl!  Once home we got her to drink some hot chocolate and I eventually distracted her from the evening's events by looking at the pictures in her birthday party blog posts.  She slept through the night just fine and is back to herself today.  But she wants to make sure I know that she never wants to go through that haunted garage ever again.  Deal.

8.  This weekend I became an aunt for the 7th time.  Kent and Becca had their second child, a baby girl named Ellie Sarah.  They are also starting a new job and moving in a few weeks . . . all with a brand new baby!  I don't get to complain about packing boxes one bit.  :)

9.  On the moving front . . . we are here until we move.  We missed 2 Sundays of church this month and I was surprised to come back and have several people comment, "You're back -- we thought you had moved!"  Ack!  Didn't realize we had been written off already.  :)  

With us announcing the new job back in August I guess it might puzzle people that we are still here on November 1st.  This process is taking a while, and we are taking our time.  We don't want to jump into a house, we want to make a good decision because it will affect our lives for the next few years if not much longer.  Additionally, it is going to take time because at least 90% of the houses for sale are short sales which, well, take some time to muddle through.

10.  The good news . . . we found one house this week that we really like and we'll probably make an offer on it.  Cross your fingers for us that something works out!

celebrating 6

Our little girl turned 6 a few weeks ago.  She counted down for days, reminded me that I need to buy her presents, and in the end had a fabulous birthday.

I greeted her at kindergarten pick-up with a van full of pink balloons . . . 

A new outfit was definitely in order . . . 

She got fun new toys like, an American Girl doll . . . 

And a sewing kit . . . 

She is also very much in love with her Rapunzel Barbie, Squinkies, and Littlest Pet Shop friends.

Her birthday was actually a very busy day as we ran from school, to soccer practice, to super quick dinner (grilled cheese and broccoli - her choice) and opening presents, to Cub Scout Pack Meeting (the raingutter regatta), to blowing out candles and eating cake at home.  It was a whirlwind!

The following week I brought cookies to her classroom on the designated day for celebrating september birthdays (she was the only one!).  So not only is she clearly the tallest in her class (I have to smile at pick-up everyday as she towers over her classmates), she's also the oldest.  

From there I took her on a girls' birthday date while the boys were at school.

We ate lunch at Subway, she got her nails painted at the nail salon, and we visited three different stores so she could spend her $10 of birthday money bit by bit.  She declared it "the best day ever!"

 (she looks a little unsure in this photo, because it was a totally new experience.  But inside she was beaming)

She loooved her fingers.  And we loooove our 6 year old.

 

summer fun #5: be in a parade

I love parades.

Not sure what it is about it, but I love a parade.  Waving to people you don't know, clapping and cheering for patriotic displays, seeing all the fanfare and festivity . . . it's all good fun.

So when my dad suggested that we put together a family/business float in my home town's 4th of July Parade I was thrilled.  What a great idea!

So here's a piece of history . . . . Back in 1983, at the tender age of 3 1/2, my parents entered me in a little pageant that our town held during it's 4th of July celebration.  This is way back before the days of Toddler & Tiaras and pageant moms.  It was just something for fun.  The kids walked across the stage, answered a few questions like "what is your favorite color" (and in my case I sang I Am A Child of God), and then we sat on the stage while the rest of the contestants did the same thing.  There were no sequined dresses, no rehearsal, no dance numbers, no make-up, no hairspray (well, maybe some hairspray - it was the early 80's).

End of the story . . . I won.  Little Miss Gustine.  I got a trophy and a crown. And I got to ride on a float in the parade.

(Don't I look thrilled?  I think I was annoyed with having to keep my legs still and straight so no one would see up my dress.)

Then in 1986, my brother Sam was also in the pageant and also won Little Mr. Gustine and also rode on the float.  (Sorry, I don't have any photos of him in my possession)

So the theme for our float was obvious . . . . Former Little Miss and Little Mr. Gustine and their children.  Not our children (we don't want people thinking any more crazy things about the Mormons).  But our respective children.

All the float pictures came from Heidi . . . she was the photographer for the day and she did a great job.  Thanks Heidi!

It was holy hot that day.  104 degrees.  During the float assembly that morning we had the great idea to put the umbrella on the float.  The parade route is all of 5 blocks, but thank goodness for 5 blocks of shade!

And here we come . . . . 

Don't we look so patriotic!  My mom made the red, white, and blue pendant banners ahead of time.  And we helped with the tissue flowers.  Sam had a banner made at kinko's.  Just add some cute kids and you've got yourselves a first place float.  (Yes . . . we won 1st place in our division!)

 Conner and Payton walked along either side of the float and threw candy to the kids.  Scott and Mason also walked behind to supervise and refill their buckets.

We pulled the trailer back to my parents' house and cheered for what a great ride it had been (and for the A/C relief).  Really, it was such a fun experience to put a patriotic float together, ride down main street in our hometown, dad driving the semi, and grandkids waving and throwing candy.

It was fun to see a few familiar faces and classmates along the parade route.  Some semi-familiar faces walked out of the crowd to take our picture.  My dad's former banker actually hopped up on the semi steps to say hi while we were at a stop.  My mom walked along the parade route and almost like a spy reported back to us all the nice comments and moments of recognition ("hey, that's Shannon/Sam.") she overheard.

I think the whole experience left us with a little high that day.  Doing something with the community, doing something patriotic, and most importantly doing something as a family.

Dad, this was a fabulous idea.  Thanks.  Next time . . . water jets and confetti guns.  :)

easter fun

just a quick run through of some of our easter FUN . . . . . 

1.  Easter baskets.  I think the theme this year was DVDs.

2.  Dyeing eggs and that wonderful, magical white crayon.

Today Conner opened the fridge and said, "I think I'm going to eat some dynamite."

3.  Hello?  Can you hear me now?

Sorry, son.  I think that chickie is cooked.

4.  Aww, and an wittle ducky . . . 

5.  This year, thanks to a recent trip to the dentist, we have our very own bunny in the house.

6.  One girl who is uber excited to sleep with pink foam rollers in her hair for the very first time.  Ahhh, brings back so many memories of my childhood.  :)

easter dresses, rolls, and tissues

all dressed in our Easter best . . . . we wanted to wish you a very Happy Easter!  We have had a great day.  The Easter bunny visited us yesterday (maybe a post on that later) and today we enjoyed a nice day at church.  Conner gave a talk in Primary about missionary work.  We came home and I cooked up a storm -- seriously, 3 solid hours making stuff and washing dishes in the kitchen.  But I was happy to do it.  Ham, scalloped potatoes, deviled eggs, and these amazing rolls . . . 

  {recipe found in Our Best Bites: Mormon Moms in the Kitchen cookbook}

They are huge and so filling.  We didn't even make it through one pan.  Which is shocking because Scott is a lover of rolls.  Maybe it's because he's feeling a little under the weather today.

After dinner it is tradition in our family to watch The Testaments.  And keeping with tradition the kids ask lots of questions throughout and mom & dad cry like babies at the end.  (This time I was smart and had Conner fetch me a tissue before it started.)  It's a good movie.  It reminds us of all that Jesus Christ taught, how he served and loved, and the sacrifice he bore for us.  But more importantly it teaches that he arose from the tomb and that he lives again.  We have hope and the promise of eternal life through Him.

John 3:16 -- For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I hope that you have enjoyed a wonderful Easter Sunday as well.  

love day breakfast

Valentine's Day breakfast has become a tradition over the last few years. I love it! The table is set the night before.  Red tablecloth, flowers, a gift bag at each place setting, love notes, and a yummy breakfast to be served.  It think the kids really enjoy coming down in the morning to find this special surprise.

I always give the kids a small heart-shaped box of chocolates, conversation hearts, and one small toy. This year, for the boys - Kung Zhu pets.  For Anna - Littlest Pet Shop.  I purposefully do not go overboard on the gift bags.  It's just Valentine's Day so let's take it easy.  But, holy moly, I hit the jackpot this year.

I'm getting breakfast together and I hear this deep moan "ohhhh" from Anna at the table.  I turn around thinking something is wrong.  And she continues, "it's. adorable." as she pulls the contents from the bag.  "I'm going to die."  Oh, I love it.  :)

Thank you Jet-Puffed for the HeartMallows.

I kept the menu simple this year because it was a school day, and I would need to bathe Anna and blow dry her hair, and get 3 kids with 3 bags of valentine's out the door, and have myself (and a game) ready to go directly to the preschool party.

Bacon.  Cinnamon rolls from a can.  Hot chocolate.  And milk with twisty straws.

Conner, reading his love note from me.

Bacon is the way to this boy's heart.

And here's a picture from later in the day when the lighting was nicer.

It was a lovely breakfast.  And the focus on love helped me keep my cool when one of my new dinner plates shattered on the floor. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

{oh, and if you're wondering about the "art" on the window, that will be explained in another post.}

the best christmas ever

around 10am on Christmas morning Conner came up to me with a hug and said, "this is the best christmas ever."  That made me happy.  I feel, though, like he tells me that every year.  Which means we must be doing an alright job at this holiday and parenting thing.

I didn't think that it would last another year, but we still have 3 believers in our house and they were so excited to see what Santa had left for them.  Even though they had slept in until 7:30 or 8am the previous 3 days, they bounded into our room at 6am on Christmas morning ready to go.

I give you, Christmas morning round the tree . . . . 

The first present of the morning.  Can you tell that he is excited?

 At the Ward Christmas party, Anna asked Santa for one thing.  Silly Bandz.  And she got them.  About 100 of them.

Santa came through this year and brought a Nintendo DS for each of the boys.  He decided to have some fun with the kids and wrapped their "big" gift inside 3 additional boxes.  Just to add to the anticipation.  ;)

 Payton's wish came true and he got a snow globe for Christmas.  From Anna.  But it wasn't without some effort.  Anna picked out a small snow globe for him in Utah.  Packing for the airport it ended up in one of the carry-on bags, and threw up red flags for TSA, which led to a bag search, and it was eventually confiscated.  All because of a some liquid.  :(  Luckily we were able to find a replacement in town and were only out $2.

 Oh, there's some LEGO building in our future!  Ron Weasley is not a part of the set, but in their book the two dementors more than makes up for that.

Other highlights for the kids: Paper Jamz, remote control car, Fur Real kitty and puppy, silver heart locket, a Chemistry set, Bejeweled 3, and a karaoke machine.

Here's my parents with their stockings

The rest of the day we . . . 

• stayed in our pajamas as long as possible.  For Conner and Payton, they never changed out of their pj's.
• watched tv and movies.  Star Wars, One Magic Christmas . . .
• sang karaoke.  Conner is down with Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.
• ate christmas morning rolls
• enjoyed a dinner of ham, baked potatoes, and breadsticks and coconut cream pie for dessert.
• ignored the clutter of christmas morning and just let it be.
• listened to Anna sing "Total Eclipse of the Heart", "Don't Stop Believin'", and various Phineas & Ferb songs
• enjoyed a quiet day of being together.

Snapshots from around the house . . . 

 Oh my.  I came around the corner to find Anna just like this, sitting at the top of the stairs.  I laughed and ran to get my camera and you know what she said?  "I've been waiting for you to see me."  She had this photo-op all planned out.  What a little poser!  Anna literally spent all day Christmas day with these headphones on her ears, enjoying the music on her new little MP3 player, walking around the house, singing, feeling like a big girl.  In fact, when she opened this gift from Santa she immediately squealed in delight while Payton, dumbfounded, said, "But Anna's not old enough for that.  What does Santa think?  That she's, like . . . 17?!"  He had us alllll laughing.  And Santa made sure not to spend very much on this player because he realizes that Anna is 5 and not 17.  

  the lego building begins

  the boys have spent nearly every waking second on their DS's the past few days.  Playing them non-stop until the battery gives out, and only stopping long enough for it to charge up.  We knew this would happen, and that's why we didn't gift these in earlier years.  Santa was mighty generous.  For now, we're letting them just play because it is Christmas vacation.  But pretty soon some limits are going to come into effect.

  This has been an animal Christmas for Anna.  Which is only fitting because she loves kitties, puppies, and horsies of every kind.  She received a few Breyer horses and a wooden horse corral from Santa (I love all of it), two Fur Real walking /purring /barking pets, a small Snuggimal puppy in her stocking, and she loves them all.  

 Some of my Christmas loot.  hehe!

dad catching a nap.

And lest you worry that Scott and I did not make it into any Christmas photos, here we are . . . 

It was simply a wonderful day.  I felt spoiled.  We ate good food.  We were surrounded by the people we love and care about.  It doesn't get any better.